April showers bring May flowers!

Can you believe that we are almost halfway through the month of April? It seems that this year has just flown by! I have really enjoyed working with your 2nd graders, and can't wait to hear about the exciting time they will have in 3rd grade in just a few short months!

In math right now, we are working on place value with 3-digit numbers. During this unit, students are learning different strategies for adding and subtracting larger numbers, as well as working with place value and money. Students continue to practice counting mixed groups of coins, and are beginning to make change from $5.00 and $10.00 bills.

Guided reading groups will end on April 24. We will then spend the last weeks of school doing assessments and reading comprehension activities as a whole group. Our current read-aloud is "Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle!". We will wrap up the school year with author studies on Bernard Waber and William Steig.

We are getting ready to start some research! In the next week in our classroom, students will do a mini-research project on a country. This will lead into our biggest writing project of the year...animal research! Now would be a great time to start checking out some non-fiction books at home and working with your child on using the index and glossary, locating information, and putting information in your own words.

Students will be tested on the continents at the end of this week. Rather than a study guide, your child will be bringing home a "travel pack" of information tomorrow. Please have him or her share with you souvenirs and maps from the seven continents we have visited. On the geography test, students will need to label the 7 continents and 4 oceans on a map, as well as tell one or two interesting facts about each continent and identify four different landforms.

Next week in science, we will be beginning our unit on herps (amphibians and reptiles). During this unit, second graders will learn the difference between amphibians and reptiles and study the characteristics of lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodilians, salamanders, and frogs/toads.

Upcoming important dates for April:

April 12 - 2nd grade field trip to the Lied Center
April 17 - 2nd grade music program
April 24 - Family Fun, Food, and Fitness night
April 25 - Birthday Breakfast
April 26 - Kansas City Zoo field trip
April 27 - No school